Genentech/Roche/Chugai’s Avastin Will Garner More Than 20 Percent of the Total Breast Cancer Drug Market in 2017

October 21, 2008

WALTHAM, Mass., Oct. 21 /PRNewswire/ — Decision Resources, one of the world’s leading research and advisory firms for pharmaceutical and healthcare issues, finds that significant market penetration will drive Genentech/Roche/Chugai’s Avastin to garner just over 20 percent of total sales in the breast cancer drug market in the United States, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, the United Kingdom and Japan in 2017.

The new Pharmacor report entitled Breast Cancer finds that, through 2017, the breast cancer drug market will be driven by sales of Avastin in the U.S. and Europe, its approval and launch in Japan, and its label extension to the adjuvant setting in 2013. Additionally, although Genentech/Roche/Chugai’s Herceptin continues to dominate the human epidermal growth factor receptor-2 (HER2) positive breast cancer market segment, the drug is receiving strong competition from GlaxoSmithKline’s Tykerb, which has received favorable physician opinion. However, Tykerb’s premium price continues to limit its potential uptake, according to the report.

Market growth will also be driven by the entry of Pfizer’s Sutent, currently in clinical trials, which is expected to be approved for the treatment of advanced breast cancer in 2010. Sutent’s subsequent approval in the adjuvant setting between 2012 and 2017 will further drive its robust growth. Interviewed experts said they are strongly encouraged by Sutent’s clinical trial data to date and express confidence in the drug’s potential in breast cancer and are particularly hopeful of its potential in the treatment of triple-negative breast cancer. Triple-negative breast tumors–which account for approximately one-fifth of all breast cancers–are defined by their lack of expression of estrogen, progesterone and HER2 receptors.

“Lack of receptor expression results in resistance to conventional hormonal and targeted therapies, leaving chemotherapy as the only treatment option for patients with triple-negative breast cancer,” said Niamh Murphy, Ph.D., analyst at Decision Resources. “As a result, there is a significant unmet need for the development of effective agents for the treatment of triple-negative breast cancer.”

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